Ganesh Chaturthi Festival Celebration in Mumbai (Complete Guide)

Mumbai, where the people belong to various religions, castes and faiths, but during festival time all come together and take part in the celebrations with full devotion and passion. Maharashtra is the state where you can find the true color of the festival called Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Huge idols of Ganesha decorated within the Mandaps (pandals) put up by every locality marks the start of the ten-day festival — check out below the famous pandals of Mumbai. These days are full of joy and celebration and cultural programs are the part of this festival. Visit Mumbai city at the time of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival held in the month of 'Bhaarapada' according to Hindu calendar, that comes between 20th August and 15th September and witness the high spirits and passion that exists in this holy atmosphere.

The preparation of this festival starts months before, on the first day of the festival the beautifully decorated sculptures of Ganesha are installed in the sacred corners of the homes and lavishly adorned Mandaps (pandals). A special ritual is performed on the first day to invite the lord with special phrases and verbal material offerings. It involves the ceremony of cleansing the Ganesha's idol with the five nectars of milk, honey, curd, butter and jaggery in between washing with water. These five components together are called Panchamrit in Sanskrit. This is the one reason why Lord Ganesha is considered to be the most polite and soft in his character.

Every locality is in competition with the other localities to make the outstanding Murti and Mandaps than others. People crowd these Mandaps twice a day in the morning and at evening to perform Aarti and sing hymns from religious scriptures Sholkas. The Ganesha's favorite sweet-dish Modkas, also called Modagam are distributed among the devotees which is equally delicious in taste. Throughout ten days the cultural programs go on like Music, dance and orchestra and some people indulge in discussing the current affairs and social issues as this routine is followed from the nationalist leader Bal Ganghar Tilak, who took the Ganesha idols to the streets from temples and homes to spread his message in the guise of a religious festival.

You will be stunned to see the sea of people enjoying the celebration in full vivacity. Ganesha's idols, pandas, modkas, prayers and singing hymns is an essential part of prayer and music, dance and orchestra adds to its charm. Visit Maharashtra in the month of August and September and catch the fervor of 10-day celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi Festival.

Ganesh Idols in Mumbai

An artisan putting the final touches on an idol of Lord Ganesh at a workshop in Lalbaug, Mumbai.

There are only two weeks remaining until the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival celebration in Mumbai. It's one of the city's biggest and most expected festivals of the year. More than 200,000 idols of Lord Ganesh will be worshiped and immersed in water over the 10 days of the festival. Artisans are busy around the clock at workshops in south Mumbai's Lalbaug district, as it's a race against time to get all the idols finished. The labor-intensive process of handcrafting the Lord has been going on for around three months. It involves specialized skills, handed down from generation to generation, and workers come from as far as Bihar to assist. With great anticipation, we set off for one of the biggest idol workshops in the area. — Ganpati Bappa Morya! The Lalbaugcha Raja, located north of the Lalbaug Flyover, it was a cavernous makeshift structure that had been fashioned out of bamboo poles and blue tarpaulins behind iron gates. Inside, idols of different sizes and designs sat, row upon row, in various stages of completion. The smaller ones at the front were painted, packaged and tagged, awaiting collection. Some had been elaborately draped with glittering jewels. However, many of the larger ones were still being shaped out of plaster. Immense, they loomed over me. One, sitting atop a huge ball, was surrounded by scaffolding so that the artisans could climb up and access it. They were still applying plaster to it too. I couldn't help but wonder how the work was going to be done in time for the festival. After all, the painting that would transform the idols from plain white figures into the much loved elephant god required so much detail.

Near Chinchpokli Bridge, the workshop of Mr Ratnakar Kambli, the head of Kambli Arts. Renowned artists and sculptors, three generations of the Kambli family have been making Mumbai's most famous idol -- the Lalbaugcha Raja -- since 1935. For them, idol making is more about love than money and they focus on decoration work for the remainder of the year.

According to Mr Kambli, it’s been necessary to adapt the design of the Lalbaugcha Raja, to enable it to fit under the new Lalbaug Flyover when being carried out for immersion. Some of its parts, including the crown, are now being made to fold down.

The idols of Lord Ganesh will be displayed on stages and taken into homes across the city, where his presence will be invoked into them and they will be worshiped during the festival. At the end, they will be immersed in water and left to be destroyed as a powerful reminder not to get attached to their beauty, and to remain aware that the Lord's energy still exists even though his image has gone.

The Making of Mumbai Ganesh Idols

The colorful Mumbai Ganesh idols, which are displayed all over the city during the annual Ganesh Chaturthi festival, are an awe-inspiring sight. It's natural to wonder about how they're made and the amount of work that's gone into creating them. If you're interested in finding out, it's possible to see the statues being crafted. Where and how depends on how much time you have available.

Idol making is big business. The skill is handed down from generation to generation, plus many migrants also come to Mumbai to help in the labor intensive process. It gets underway around three months before the festival takes place.

Head to the village of Pen, two hours south of Mumbai. It is there that the majority of Ganesh idols are crafted. The idol making industry in Penis huge, with most people from the village involved in the process. But, just how huge is huge? The figures are impressive. Around 500 units produce 600,000-700,000 Ganesh statues a year, with a turnover of nearly 6 crore rupees. More than a quarter of the statues are exported. The rest is sold in India, but for a premium -- everyone wants an idol done in Pen!

You'll discover that idol making in Pen has an interesting history. The villagers have always been artistic. Originally, they were adept at making items such as idols out of paper, and stuffed parrots. When the Ganesh festival went from being a private to a community event in the 1890s, some of the Pen's artisans shifted their skills to making clay idols for the festival. They were sold locally under a barter system for a few kilos of rice, but there was no money in it. Of course, that's not the case these days!

A Ganesh Idol Museum and Information Center has been set up in Pen for tourists to learn more.

Take a walk around the lanes of Parel, Chinchpokli, and Lalbaug in central Mumbai. You'll find workshops, big and small, everywhere. The most famous workshop is that of Vijay Khatu, in Parel. You can also follow his Facebook Page.

The Mumbai local train is the quickest and easiest way. You can start by getting off at Chinchpokli and heading right up Sane Guruji Road towards Ganesh Talkies and the Lalbaug Flyover.

Top 5 Famous Mumbai Ganesh Mandals (Pandals)

1. Lalbaugcha Raja

The Lalbaugcha Raja, King of Lalbaug, is undoubtedly the most famous Ganesh statue in Mumbai. The mandal was founded in 1934, and has grown to be the most visited one in the city. The Kambli family, of Kambli Arts, has made the idol since 1935. Its legendary design is now patent protected.

If you want to see the lengths people are prepared to go to for devotion, the Lalbaugcha Raja is the idol to visit. It draws an average of 1.5 million people a day -- astonishing! People simply believe that this Ganesh idol can fulfill their wishes, and there's a lot of media attention on it.

There are two main lines to see the idol: a general line, and line for those wanting to make a vow or get a wish fulfilled (Navas). The Navas line takes devotees right to the idol's feet, whereas the general line offers viewing (Darshan) from a distance of around 10 meters away. Until recently, it was common for the Navas line to stretch snakelike for over five kilometers. However the organizer has started providing huge air conditioned tents in the adjacent ground to accommodate everyone.

2. Ganesh Galli Mumbaicha Raja

The Mumbaicha Raja, in Ganesh Galli (Lane), is located only a couple of lanes away from the Lalbaugcha Raja and is also very popular. It lost its shine to the Lalbaugcha Raja in the late 1990s, but still pulls in the crowds.

The mandal is well known for its lavish new themes every year, often a replica of a famous place in India. It was formed for the benefit of the mill workers in 1928, making it the oldest one in the area.

3. Khetwadi Ganraj

The award winning Khetwadi Ganraj is considered to be one of the most spectacular Ganesh idols in Mumbai. The Mandal established in 1959 but found fame in 2000, when it made the highest Ganesh idol in Indian history, standing 40 feet tall. The idol is decked out in real gold jewelry. One year, it was even studded with real diamonds. An added attraction when visiting the Khetwadi Ganraj is that there's a Ganesh idol in almost every lane in the area -- so you'll have plenty to see!

4. GSB Seva Kings Circle

The GSB Seva Ganesh mandal is affectionately known as Mumbai's gold Ganesh. Yes, that's pure gold it's adorned with -- more than 60 kilograms of it! The mandal, often stated to be the richest in the city, was founded by the Gowd Saraswat Brahmin community from Karnataka in 1954. They've prospered in Mumbai, and as a mark of respect to the city they conduct various social programs along with a grand celebration of the Ganesh Festival.

The idol is always an eco-friendly one, made out of clay. The mandal is also distinctive because there's none of the usual recorded music there. Instead, traditional Indian musical instruments used in south Indian temples are played.

A convenient aspect of this mandal is that it has an elevated walkway set up to aid viewing of the idol.

Nearest Railway Station: Kings Circle on the Harbour Line and Matunga on the Central Line.

When to Visit: This Ganesh idol only stays for the first five days of the festival, so see it early.

5. Andhericha Raja

The Andhericha Raja is to the Mumbai suburbs what the Lalbaugcha Raja is to south Mumbai. The Mandal established in 1966 by the workers of the Tobacco company, Tata Special Steel and Excel Industries Ltd, who moved from Lalbaug to be closer to their factories. Compared to many other famous mandals in Mumbai, the idol isn't as towering or imposing. However, it has a reputation for fulfilling wishes. The mandal also usually has a novel theme and other attractions, which have in the past included sand sculpture and a mela (carnival).

When to Visit: Evenings are busiest, however devotees have some extra time to see the God. The idol is the only one in Mumbai to be immersed on Sankashthi Day, which is a few days after Anant Chaturdashi (the last day of the festival when large idols are commonly immersed).

Mumbai Ganesh Visarjan

Where & How to See the Ganesh Visarjan in Mumbai

What becomes of the beautiful statues of Lord Ganesh once the Ganesh Chaturthi festival is over? They're placed in a body of water and left to disintegrate in a process called visarjan (immersion). In Mumbai alone, more than 150,000 statues are immersed each year! Find out when and where it happens in this Mumbai Ganesh Visarjan guide.

2014 Ganesh Visarjan Dates

The largest Ganesh statues, on display to the public, are usually immersed on Anant Chaturdasi -- 11 days after the first day of the Ganesh festival. However, many people who keep a Ganesh in their homes choose to perform the immersion much before this. There are no hard and fast rules as to when it's done. Rather it's up to personal preference. However, the immersions do follow a schedule and are only performed on selected days. These are as follows.

One and half day Ganesh Visarjan – August 30, 2014.

Three days Ganesh Visarjan – August 31, 2014.

Five day Ganesh Visarjan – September 2, 2014. (Gauri idols, also commonly taken home and worshiped along with Lord Ganesh in Maharashtra, are immersed on this day as well).

Seven day Ganesh Visarjan – September 4, 2014.

Anant Chaturdashi last day of Ganesh Visarjan – September 8, 2014.

Immersion of the Andhericha Raja takes place on Sankashti Chaturthi -- September 12, 2014. (Procession starts on September 11).

Ganesh Visarjan Locations

There are four main location in Mumbai where the Ganesh statues get immersed. If you want to see the largest and most famous Ganesh statues, you'll need to head to Girgaum (Girgaon) Chowpatty on Marine Drive in south Mumbai.

Procession route for Mumbaicha Raja & Ganesh Galli

Juhu Beach in Mumbai's western suburbs is another popular place of immersion. As too is Versova beach.

Procession route for Andhericha Raja

Powai Lake, in Mumbai's central suburbs, receives a lot of smaller states that are immersed by families before Ananta Chaturdashi.

Mumbai Ganesh Visarjan Route Maps

Mumbai Ganesh Visarjan Tips

The large Ganesh statues take a long time to reach the ocean and be immersed. The slow moving processions commonly start out mid morning and go throughout the night, with the statue only being placed in the water early the next morning. Many roads are closed to traffic, so do take the Mumbai local train where possible. If you come by train, try and arrive at Grant Road railway station by around 1-2 p.m, then make your way slowly to Girgaum (Marine Drive) Chowpatty. It really starts getting crowded around sunset, from 6.30 p.m. onwards. Expect hundreds of thousands of people to still be there at sunrise too.

Mumbai Ganesh Visarjan Tours

Due to the huge crowds, experiencing the immersions can be daunting. Therefore, it's a good idea to go on a tour if you're feeling concerned about it (which is what I did!). Here's my Mumbai Ganesh Visarjan tour experience, conducted by Grand Mumbai Tours.

Ganesh Chaturthi Festival Conclusion

A very tall idol of the elephant-headed Hindu God, Ganesha, is carried by devotees to the Arabian Sea where it will be immersed into the waters. The immersion concludes the 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India, on August 29, 2014, and symbolizes Ganesha's return home where he takes away all of mankind's misfortunes along with him.